new orleans.

[veryschway]

Last night, my mom called me at about midnight. She'd been watching Nightline and thinking about Katrina. We talked for an hour about poor, black people being left to die, because it's not worth the trouble to save them

Comments

[southpaw526]

Of course it's going to take four days to get relief from a natural disaster when the majority of your volunteer military is on the other side of the world! Asshats.

Reminds me of a line from a U2 song: "the rich stay healthy, while the sick stay poor".

[veryschway]

when the majority of your volunteer military is on the other side of the world

exactly.

[easwaran]

I agree with 99% of what you say. The only difference is that I wouldn't say "this administration is entirely to blame for the chaos and deal in New Orleans right now" - after all, they didn't directly cause the hurricane and tell it to hit New Orleans. But this is the worst mismanagement of any natural disaster recovery in the world in many years (it's possible that the earthquake in Gujarat about 4 years ago was managed equally poorly - but then that's the same state government that actively encouraged religious mobs to go around killing one another - we should be able to do better than that).

[veryschway]

The only difference is that I wouldn't say "this administration is entirely to blame for the chaos and deal in New Orleans right now" - after all, they didn't directly cause the hurricane and tell it to hit New Orleans

I'd allow that, but only in something like the sense in which a landlord who ignores the faulty wirings, broken smoke alarms, and defective lightning rods on his building, and makes no provisions to get his tenants out, probably doesn't actually cause lightning to strike his building. Which is to say, the federal government is guilty of criminal negligence.

[easwaran]

I support the use of the phrase "criminal negligence" here, because that's certainly what it is. When you put someone in charge of FEMA who couldn't even keep a job at the International Arabian Horse Association (replacing the totally political appointee who got bored and quit) that's just wrong. And even ignoring what he's actually done (or hasn't), just the depth of Michael Brown's incompetence in what he says and knows is utterly astonishing.

comrade

[feu_de_fripe]

i got your lj name from socialist worker
i was in DC as well. I got to hold the lead banner. It was so awesome to be leading the ISO contingent as we marched back to the rally space to people CHEERING US!!!
they should all just fucking join so we can occupy the congress already!!
anyway, i may have met you
my name is karen

Re: comrade

[veryschway]

Hi!

I was actually marching with the College Not Combat contingent. I came with the Pittsburgh branches and we had trouble finding our comrades. But we did see all you guys finishing the march around 4 or so!

[camella]

i searched "twixter" and found only three other people with that as an interest on LJ.

And i'm a socialist too. and i work at a big university.

so i added you.

[veryschway]

!! that is so funny to have that particular collision of similarities! :) I'm adding you back. My lj's been quiet the past month, but I'm actually usually a pretty regular poster. just so you know. :)